Needle-clamp for sewing-machines.



L. ONDERDONK.

NEEDLE CLAMP FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2, 1916. 1,23? 6,950. Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

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LANSING ONDERDONK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB. TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

NEEDLE-CLAMP FOR SEWIN G-MAGI-IIN ES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

Application filed October 2, 1916. Serial No. 123,361.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LANSING ONDERDONK, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county, of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Needle- Clamps for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in needle clamps and more particularly to a needle clamp which is adapted to support a plurality of needles.

An object of the invention is to provide a needle clamp wherein the needles are carried entirely by the needle bar and a collar at the lower end thereof, which collar not only supports a pair of needles out of line with the needle bar but is also provided with means for determining the position of the said needles.

A further object of the invention is to provide a needle clamp with thread grooves and slots arranged so as to guide the thread in a manner that will lead it to the eye of the needle from the side; also be convenient for the operator to thread the needle holder and with little or no friction.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings, which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention:-

Figure 1 is a front view showing a needle clamp embodying the improvements;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4l l of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lower end of a needle bar having the improved needle clamp, showing the needles and the manner of leading the threads to the needles;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the clamping collar with the needles therein;

Fig. 7. is a sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 88 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 9is a view showing more or less diagrammatically the arrangement of the needles relative to the fabric being stitched and the cross thread laying devices which cooperate with the separate pairs of needles.

In carrying out the invention, I have provided a needle bar with a clamp at its lower end which is adapted to carry a plurality of needles. These needles are supported in pairs, one pair staggered relative to the other and located in rear thereof. The needles arearranged in this manner so that a single looper may cooperate with each pair of needles and a single cross thread laying finger or hook also cooperates with each pair of needles. The supporting collar for the needles extends rearwardly of the needle bar and is formed with upwardly projecting portions and the collar and these upwardly proJecting portions are recessed to receive the rear pair of needles. Limiting screws threaded into the extended portions determine the position of the needles while clamping screws hold said needles in place. The front pair of needles are carried by the collar and the needle bar and are held in place by suitable clamping screws.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the improved needle clamp consists of a clamping collar 1 which is secured to the lower end of the needle bar 2 by a clamping screw 3. This clamping collar has a recess 4- extending therethrough into which the needle bar extends so that it may be clamped by the screw 3. This clamping collar projects rearwardly from the needle bar as at 5 and is also provided with upwardly projecting portions 6 and 7. The clamping collar is formed with recesses 8 and 9,the recess 8 extetnding up into the projecting portions 6 and the recess 9 extending up into the projecting portion 7. These recesses are threaded to receive limiting screws 10. A needle 11 extends up into the recess 8 and bears against the screw 10 at its upper end. A needle 12 extends up into the recess 9 and bears against the screw 10 at the upper end thereof. A clamping screw 13 carried by the collar 1 engages the side of the shank a is of the needle 11 and firmly clamps the same in place. A clamping screw lat engages the side of the shank of the needle 12 and firmly clamps said needle in place. Theseneedles 11 and 12 constitute the rear pair of needles. The needle clamp is also adapted to carry the needles 15 and 16 which form the front pair of needles. The needle bar has a recess 17 which receives the needle 16 and said needle is clamped in this recess by a clamping screw 18 which passes through the collar and bears against the shank of the needle. The needle bar and collar combined have a recess 19 which receives the shank of the needle 15 and a clamping screw 20 extending through the collar bears a ainst the shank of the needle 15 and firmly holds the same in place.

The clamping collar 1 is formed with a recess 21 which extends downwardly and inwardly through the clamping collar opening at 22, see Fig. 2. The thread for the needle 16 passes down through this recess. The clamping collar also has a recess 23 which opens at 2 1 and the thread for the needle 15 passes down through this recess. The clamping collar has a slot extending between the projecting portions 6 and T and this slot serves as a guiding recess for the threads for the needles 11 and 12. In Fig. 9 of the drawing is shown fabric sections indicated at F and F which meet at F having their edges abut-ted. The front pair of needles 15 and 16 are set so that they pass through the two sections of fabric. The rear pair of needles are staggered relative to the front pair and similarly set so that the meeting edges pass between the needles. A cross thread laying mechanism 26 lays across thread 27 for the rear pair of needles while a cross thread laying finger 28 lays a cross thread 29 for the front pair of needles. By having the pairs of needles spaced as shown the cross thread laying fingers may cooperate with their respective pairs of needles.

From the above description, it will be apparent that I have provided a needle clamp which is simple in construction and wherein two pairs of needles may be held by the same clamping members at the lower end of the needle bar, the rear pair of needles be ing out of line with the needle bar and said needle clamp also has means for positioning said needles. The needle clamp is further provided with clamping means for firmly clamping the needles in place and with thread guiding recesses which permit the thread for the needles to pass to the needles with little or no frictional. wear thereon through rubbing against the needle clamping member.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters-Patent is 1. The combination of a needle bar and means for securing a plurality of needles thereto, said means including a collar secured to the lower end of the needle bar, said collar having a rearward extension and upwardly extending projections, and a re cess extending upwardly through the collar into each projection, which recesses are adapted to receive needles, devices in the recesses initially determining the verticalpositions of the needles in the said recesses, and means for clamping the needles in said recesses.

2. The combination of a needle bar and means for securing a plurality of needles thereto, said means including a collar secured to the lower end of the needle bar, said collar having a rearward extension and upwardly extending projections, and a recess extending upwardly through the collar into each projection, which recesses are adapted to receive needles, means initially determining the vertical positions of the needles in the said recesses, and means for clamping the needles in said recesses, said collar having a thread guiding recess for guiding a thread to each of the needles, said recess being located between said projections.

3. The combination of a needle bar and means for securing a plurality of needles thereto, said means including a collar secured to the lower end of the needle bar, said collar and needle bar having means for supporting a pair of needles lying in a plane containing the axis of the needle bar, said collar having a rearward extension for supporting a pair of needles lying in a plane in the rear of the first-named plane, said rearward extension of the collar having projections extending above the collar and recesses extending through the collar into said projections and adapted to receive the needles, a screw for the upper end of each recess for positioning the needles, and clamping screws for clamping the needles in their respective recesses.

at. The combination of a needle bar and means for securing a plurality of needles thereto, said means including a collar secured to the lower end of the needle bar, said collar and needle bar having means for supporting a pair of needles lying in a plane containing the axis of the needle bar, said collar having a rearward extension for supporting a pair of needles lying'in a 1 plane in rear of the first named plane, said rearward extension of the collar having projections exteding above the collar and re-' cesses extending through the collar into said recesses extending through the collar for 1Q projections and adapted to receive the guiding threads to the front pair of needles. needles, a screw for the upper end of each In testimony whereof, I aifix my signarieoess for positioning the needles, aild ture in the presence of two Witnesses.

c amping screws for clamping the need es in their respective recesses, said collar hav- LANSING ONDERDONK' ing a thread guiding recess located between Witnesses:

the projections for guiding threads to the JOHN H. HOWELL,

needles at the rear of the needle bar and MATTHEW P. RYAN.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

